Washboard



Patented Feb. 23, 1943 i. STATES PAT E N T O FF I C E WASHBOARD John Snyder, Akron, Ohio, assignorof threetenths to Fred R. Ormsby and three-tenths to Merril I M. Sitz, Akron, Ohio Application January 13, 1942, Serial No..426,612

I claim.

This invention relates `to washboards and in particular relates to. washboards having means for removably holding' the same .in fixed relation in washbowls, laundry tub-s or the like, against the. action of rubbing Clothes on. the. washboard.

Heretofore, Washboards have had suction cups applied thereto in various ways in attempts to hold the same. against movement due. to rubbing action thereon; but. these attempts have been generally unsatisfac-tory because such rubbing action caused the suction cups to slide along the surfaces to which they were attached. The fail- 'ure of'the. known prior art structures to perform satisfactorily has been mainly due to lack` of full appreciation of the true action of a suction cup under actual working conditions for the purposesset forth.

'The general object of' the invention is to pro- 'vicl'e a simple, compact and inexpen-sive washboard of improved Construction, having suction means for elTectively holding the board positioned in a washbowl, Ia'und'ry tub, or the like, to withstand'substantialrubbing action without causing the suction cups to slip along the surfaces to which they are at'tached.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawing Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, on a reduced scale, of a washboard embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a full sized edge View thereof in position for use in a washbowl.

Figure 3 is a full sized elevation of the washboard shown mounted in a wash bowl illustrated in section.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front View, on a reduced scale, of the lower portion of a washboard, similar to that shown in Figure 1, but having a modified form of suction means thereon.

Figure 5 is a rear elevation as viewed from the right of Figure 4.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawing, the numeral o designates a flat, discshaped washboard member, formed of hard plastic, Wood, or similar material, with alternate parallel ribs and grooves H and !2, respectively, extending across the front face thereof. For the l purposes of the invention, and as Will be hereinafter explained, the disc-shaped board ll] may be relatively small, inasmuch as only a small area of the rubbing surface of any washboard need be used for rubbing purposes. This small size of the board makes it particularly adaptable to be carried by travelling persons, for use in washing .at right angles to the plane thereof.

clothes in the. usual relatively small washbowls, although the improved board isalso adaptable for use in laundry tubs or the like` of relatively larger proportions.

On the rear face of the washboard !0, adjacent the bottom edge thereof, are spaced attaching devices !3, l3, of vulcanized rubber or like elastic or resilient material. Each attaching device may comprise a concavo-convex suction element M having an integral neck !5 coaxial therewitln said neck having an aperture 55 in the end thereof for firmly receiving a pin |.6 extending, from the rear of the washboard o substantially The spaced pins IE may comprise bolts Secured through apertures in the' Washboard by means of nuts lis and rubber sleeves [G are received on the threaded portions of these bolts to facilitate gripping. the attaching devices thereon.

The neck !5 of attaching device |3 is relatlvely short and the rubber covered pin !6 extends therein a di-stanceslightly less than the length of the neck, whereby the suction element I'4 will substantially r'igidly support the washboard o in a washbowl or the like, as illustrated in Figure 3, against up and down rubbing action on the rubbing surface of the board. Sufficient flexible, resilient rubber, howeVer, is provided at |5 between the end of pin l6 and the juncture of the neck !5 and suction element M, that when the suction element is pressed against the usual rounded corner at the bottom of a washbowl having water therein, engagement of the upper portion of the washboard with the rim of the bowl will yieldingly fiex the neck downwardly so that the axis thereof will then be at an acute angle to its normal axis, and hence also an acute angle to the axis of the suction element 14, as illustrated by the broken lines a-a and b--b in Figure 3. This fiexing action applied to neck l5 by the yielding engagement of the top of the board with the washbowl places the lower edge of the suction device !4 under compression and the diametrically opposite top edge thereof under tension. The result is that the board is fixedly held in the bowl to withstand normal rubbing action applied to the rubbing surfaces in washing clothes or the like, there being no tendency for the suction devices to creep or slip either upwardly or downwardly in the bowl when normal rubbing action is applied to the washboard. Under the conditions described the neck |5 is not fiexed sufiiciently to break the adhesion of the suction element I 4.

In the use of the washboard n in a washbowl small, its weight is correspondingly light and hence does not materially affect the action of the suction devices [3 to loosen the same. The improved washboard, with the suction devices in the relative positions shown, is adapted for effective use in washbowls, or like receptacles under a maximum number of varying conditions, although the angle of the axis of the suction device t-o the plane of the washboard may be varied somewhat providing always that in use the neck l'5 is held yieldingly flexed downwardly by engagement of the top of the washboard with said washbowls or the like.

' The improved washboard illustrated has been found to be adapted for eflective use in laundry tubs having a wall sloping at an obtuse angle to the bottom thereof, in which case the suction devices are adhered to the bottom of the tub and the necks l5 are yieldingly fiexed as before by engagement of the top edge of the board with the sloping wall.

Referring to the modified form of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, the numeral 20 designates a washboard similar to the board lu previously described, but which is formed of porcelain or like brittle material, and in which is presented a problem of securing thereto the pins for the suction holding devices without breaking or cracking the board. To obviate this problem, suction devices 2l, 2! are mounted on spaced pins 22, 22 on a plate 23, which is provided with spaced pins 24, 24 adapted to be removably but snugly received through apertures 25 in the washboard 20 (see full lines in Figure 4). Pins 24 may have rubber sleeves 26 thereon to provide good gripping action in the apertures of washboard 20 without breaking the porcelain.

The washboard 20 operates substantially in the same manner as the washboard o (Figure 3), except that the plate 23 is first attached in the curved lower corner of the washbowl, by means of the suction devices 2l, then the board is applied to receive the spaced pins 24 through the apertures 25 thereof. As before, the neck of the suction device 2l is held in yieldingly flexed condition by engagement of the top edge of the board with the wall of the washbowl, firmly to hold the board in place.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A washboard comprising a relatively flat member having top and bottom edges and having a clothes-rubbing surface on ;one side thereof, spaced attaching means of vulcanized rubberor like elastic, resilient material, said attaching means each including a suction element and an integral neck portion, and spaced means adja cent the bottom edges of said member cooper ating with said neck portions for mounting the' attaching means on the member, said neck portions of the attaching means being sufiiciently rigid to withstand the usual rubbing action applied to said rubbing surface of the member when the suction elements are attached to a surface of a clothes-washing receptacle but the necks also having sufiicient resiliency whereby in said attached position of the suction elements' the top edge of said member is engageable with the clothes-washing receptacle against the yielding fiexing action of said necks, so that the necks will be held flexed away from their normal axial positions as initially mounted on said board and the board becomes attached to the receptacle against dislodgement by rubbing action on the board.

JOHN L. SNYDER. 

